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We hypothesized that the digestibility of a zinc polysaccharide complex is greater than zinc sulfate when sows consume high fiber diets containing corn dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). Gilts and sows (n = 32) were blocked according to parity and assigned randomly to one of four dietary treatments (n = 8 sows per treatments). Dietary treatments consisted of: 1) Control (ConZnSO4)-corn-soybean meal-based diet + 100 ppm supplemental Zn from ZnSO4; 2) Control PSZn (ConPSZn)-corn-soybean meal-based diet + 100 ppm supplemental Zn from Zn polysaccharide complex; 3) DDGS/ZnSO4-corn-soybean meal-40% DDGS gestation diet and a 30% DDGS lactation diet, with each containing 100 ppm supplemental Zn from ZnSO4; 4) DDGS/PSZn-corn-soybean meal-40% DDGS gestation diet and a 30% DDGS lactation diet, with each containing 100 ppm supplemental Zn from Zn polysaccharide complex. A fifth dietary treatment was imposed using a subset of sows (n = 20) to determine basal Zn losses in gestating and lactating sows fed corn-soybean meal-based diets containing no supplemental Zn. Nutrient balance experiments were conducted in both gestation and lactation to evaluate the digestibility of Zn sources of the four dietary treatments and to determine basal Zn losses when no supplemental Zn was provided. The statistical model included fixed effects of diet, Zn source, and their interaction, and random effects of parity. Estimated endogenous losses of Zn were used to adjust apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) to true total tract digestibility (TTTD) of Zn in the four dietary treatment balance periods. There were no differences in Zn concentrations of urine, plasma, colostrum, or milk samples among treatments at any time of the experiment (P > 0.05). Gestating sows fed DDGS/PSZn had improved (P < 0.05) ATTD, TTTD, and overall retention of Zn compared with both Control treatments, with the DDGS/ZnSO4 treatment responses being intermediate. Lactating sows consuming diets without DDGS and supplemented with Zn polysaccharide complex had the greatest (P < 0.05) ATTD, TTTD, and retention of Zn, which were opposite to responses observed in gestation. Furthermore, ATTD, TTTD, and Zn retention for lactating sows consuming DDGS/PSZn were less (P < 0.05) than all other treatments. Overall, zinc digestibility of ZnSO4 and PSZn appears to be differentially influenced by the stage of the reproductive cycle and presence of dietary fiber from DDGS., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of increasing soybean meal (SBM) levels by replacing feed-grade amino acids (AA) in corn, corn dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), and corn-wheat midds-based diets on growth performance of late finishing pigs (n = 4,406) raised in commercial facilities. Across all experiments, pens of pigs were blocked by initial bodyweight (BW) and randomly assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments. All diets were formulated to contain 0.70% standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys and varying amounts of feed-grade AA. All diets were formulated to meet or exceed minimum essential AA requirement estimates as a ratio to Lys. In Exp. 1, 1,793 pigs (initially 104.9 ± 4.9 kg) were fed corn-based diets and pens of pigs were assigned treatments with increasing SBM from 5% to 20%. Overall, average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) improved (linear and cubic, P ≤ 0.02) as dietary SBM increased, with the greatest improvement observed as SBM increased from 5% to 8.75% and little improvement thereafter. In Exp. 2, 1,827 pigs (initially 97.9 ± 4.3 kg) were fed diets containing 25% DDGS with SBM levels increasing from 0% to 16%. Overall, feed efficiency marginally improved (linear, P ≤ 0.10) as SBM increased, with the greatest performance observed when diets contained 8% SBM and similar performance thereafter with 12 or 16% dietary SBM. In Exp. 3, 786 pigs (initially 96.7 ± 3.2 kg) were fed diets that contained 30% wheat midds and dietary SBM from 0% to 16%. Final BW of pigs increased (linear, P < 0.05) and overall ADG and G:F improved (linear and cubic, P < 0.05) as SBM increased. The combined results of the three experiments suggest that inclusion of at least 4% to 8% dietary SBM at the expense of feed-grade amino acids in corn-based diets with or without grain coproducts can improve growth performance of late-finishing (greater than 100 kg) pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this experiment was to determine preweaning survival of pigs when sows were supplemented with 3 dietary levels of zinc (Zn) in late gestation. Gilts and sows (n = 339) were assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments based on parity. Dietary treatments were 1) Control—sows fed a corn–soybean meal-based diet containing 125 ppm total supplemental Zn supplied by ZnSO4 (75 ppm Zn) and AvailaZn (50 ppm Zn, CON); 2) Intermediate—as Control + 240 ppm supplemental Zn as ZnSO4 (INT); and 3) High—as Control + 470 ppm supplemental Zn as ZnSO4 (HI). Final supplemental Zn concentrations of the 3 dietary treatments were 1) CON—125 ppm; 2) INT—365 ppm; and 3) HI—595 ppm. Sows received dietary treatments from about day 85 of gestation until farrowing. Individual piglet birth weights were recorded within 12 h of parturition. Instances of piglet mortality were recorded daily. The statistical model considered fixed effects of treatment and random effects of parity. Piglets from sows fed the INT diet had heavier (P < 0.05) birth weights than those fed CON (1.42 vs. 1.38 kg, respectively), while offspring from sows fed HI tended to have heavier (P < 0.10) birth weights (1.40 kg) than pigs from INT sows. Furthermore, incidence of low birth weight pigs was less (P < 0.05) for sows consuming INT compared with sows fed CON and HI. Despite differences in birth weight, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in total pigs born, born alive, or weaned, nor differences in individual piglet gain or weaning weight across treatments. Mortality of low birth weight pigs was lowest (P < 0.05) for offspring from sows fed HI (28.1%) compared with offspring from sows fed INT (36.1%) and CON (38.3%). Similarly, overall piglet mortality tended to decrease (P < 0.10) as dietary Zn content increased (CON: 15.0%, INT: 13.2%, and HI: 12.2%). A subset of pigs (n = 420, n = 140/treatment) were selected at weaning to evaluate effects of dietary treatment on postweaning performance. There were no significant effects of sow Zn supplementation on final body weight, days to market, or carcass characteristics of market pigs. Overall, effects of supplemental dietary Zn at 365 and 595 ppm in late gestation improved preweaning survival of low birth weight piglets and reduced overall preweaning mortality of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two studies were conducted to estimate the SID Thr:Lys requirement for growth and feed efficiency of PIC 337×1050 pigs from approximately 12- to 70-kg. In Exp. 1, 987 pigs [initial body weight (BW) = 11.8±0.32 kg] were used from 12- to 24-kg. In Exp. 2,875 pigs (initial BW = 43.4±0.58 kg] were used from 43- to 70-kg. Pens of pigs were blocked by BW and randomly allotted to dietary treatments in randomized complete block designs, with 21 to 27 pigs per pen with 8 and 7 replications per treatment (Exp. 1 and 2, respectively). Pens were provided 1 of 5 dietary treatments with increasing SID Thr:Lys ratios at 53, 58, 62, 65, and 68% in each experiment. Two corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 53 and 68% Thr:Lys ratios were blended to achieve target SID Thr:Lys treatment levels in each experiment. In Exp. 1 (12- to 24-kg), ADG and final BW increased (linear, P = 0.006) while ADFI, G:F, Thr intake/d, and Thr intake/kg of gain increased (quadratic, P = 0.001) as Thr:Lys ratio increased (Table). Additionally, Lys intake/d increased (quadratic, P < 0.001) while Lys intake/kg of gain decreased (quadratic, P < 0.001) with increasing Thr:Lys ratio. In Exp. 2 (43- to 70-kg), ADG, G:F, final BW, Thr intake/d and Thr intake/kg of gain also increased (linear, P = 0.036) as dietary Thr:Lys increased. Moreover, Lys intake/kg of gain decreased (linear, P = 0.023) with increasing Thr:Lys. A quadratic polynomial (QP) model predicted a requirement at levels greater than 68% SID Thr:Lys for ADG from 12- to 24-kg, while a QP model suggested that maximum G:F was achieved at 61.8% SID Thr:Lys (Exp. 1). From 43- to 70-kg, QP models suggested maximum ADG and G:F were achieved at levels greater than 68% SID Thr:Lys (Exp. 2). However, similar fitting BLL models predicted no further improvement to G:F and ADG beyond 65 and 67% SID Thr:Lys, respectively. In summary, these results suggest the optimal SID Thr:Lys for 12- to 24-kg pigs is 61.8% for feed efficiency and greater than 68% for ADG. From 43- to 70-kg, the requirement was predicted at or above 65 and 67% SID Thr:Lys for G:F and ADG, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate growth performance and economic return of PIC 800 × Camborough pigs fed increasing SID Lys from approximately 12- to 136-kg. Pens of pigs were blocked by body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design with 26 pigs per pen and 16 pens per treatment. Pens were provided 1 of 5 dietary treatments with increasing SID Lys at 85, 93, 100, 107, and 115% of current (2021) PIC recommendations within 6 dietary phases as follows: phase 1 (1.09, 1.19, 1.28, 1.36, and 1.47%), phase 2 (0.97, 1.06, 1.14, 1.22, and 1.32%), phase 3 (0.87, 0.95, 1.02, 1.09, and 1.17%), phase 4 (0.75, 0.82, 0.88, 0.94, and 1.01%), phase 5 (0.66, 0.72, 0.77, 0.82, and 0.89%), and phase 6 (0.59, 0.64, 0.69, 0.74, and 0.79%). Two corn-soybean meal-based diets containing low and high Lys were blended to achieve target SID Lys levels for each treatment diet within phase. Overall (d 0 to 143), increasing SID Lys improved (linear, P = 0.007) ADG and G:F, but did not impact ADFI (P > 0.10; Table). A tendency (linear, P = 0.067) for heavier hot carcass weights (HCW) was observed in pigs fed increasing SID Lys. However, there was no evidence for differences (P > 0.10) in carcass yield, backfat depth, loin depth, or carcass lean percentage across treatments. The linear (LM) model served as the best fit for both growth and economic parameters. The LM model predicted maximum ADG and G:F at levels greater than 115% of PIC's current recommendations. However, for income over feed cost (IOFC), the LM model predicted maximum profitability at or below 85% of the current Lys recommendations of PIC. In conclusion, the optimal SID Lys level for PIC 800 × Camborough pigs from 12- to 136-kg differed upon response criteria, with growth performance maximized at levels at or above 115% of the recommendation for SID Lys by PIC; however, maximal economic returns were observed at or below 85% of PIC's current SID Lys recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of increasing levels of soybean meal (SBM) replacing feed grade amino acids in corn or corn-dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS)-based diets on growth performance of late finishing pigs. In both experiments, there were 22 to 27 pigs per pen and 14 pens per treatment. Average length of the experiments was 35 (Exp. 1) and 29 days (Exp. 2). Diets were balanced to contain 0.70% SID Lys and 2,667 or 2,610 kcal NE/kg for Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. Minimum amino acid ratios relative to Lys were: Ile, 55; Met&Cys, 60; Thr, 65; Trp, 19.5, and Val, 70. Dietary crude protein ranged from 10.1 to 15.2 for Exp. 1 and 13.6 to 19.4 for Exp. 2. The statistical model considered fixed effects of treatment, linear and quadratic contrasts, and random effect of block. In Exp.1, 1,793 pigs (L337×1050, PIC; initially 104.9 ± 1.4 kg) were fed corn-based diets and pens of pigs were assigned to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with increasing SBM from 5 to 20%. Overall, average daily gain (ADG) and gain-to-feed (G:F) increased (linear; P < 0.05) as SBM increased with the greatest improvement observed as SBM increased from 5 to 8.75%, with little improvement thereafter. In Exp. 2, 1,827 pigs (L337×1050, PIC; initially 97.9 ± 1.1 kg) were used in a similar study as Exp. 1, but all diets contained 25% DDGS and SBM levels increased from 0 to 16%. Overall, G:F and final bodyweight of pigs marginally improved (linear and quadratic, respectively; P < 0.10) as SBM increased, with the greatest performance observed when diets contained 8% SBM. These results suggest that increasing SBM up to 8% at the expense of feed grade amino acids in corn or corn-DDGS-based diets improved ADG or G:F in late-finishing pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this experiment was to determine pre-weaning survival of pigs when sows were supplemented with 3 dietary levels of Zn in late gestation. Gilts and sows (n = 339) were assigned to one of three dietary treatments based on parity. Treatments were: 1) Control - corn-soybean meal-based diet containing 125 ppm supplemental Zn as ZnSO4 (75 ppm Zn) and AvailaZn™ (50 ppm Zn, CON); 2) Intermediate - as Control + 240 ppm supplemental Zn as ZnSO4 (INT); and 3) High - as Control + 470 ppm supplemental Zn as ZnSO4 (HI). Final supplemental Zn concentrations of diets were: 1) CON - 125 ppm; 2) INT - 365 ppm; and 3) HI - 595 ppm. Sows received dietary treatments from about d 85 of gestation until farrowing. Individual piglet birth weights were recorded within 12 h of parturition and all instances of piglet mortality were recorded. The statistical model considered fixed effects of diet and random effects of parity. Chi-square analysis was used to determine diet effects on piglet mortality. There were no differences in total pigs born, born alive, or weaned per litter. However, piglets from sows fed the INT diet had heavier (P < 0.05) birth weights (1.42 kg) than those fed CON (1.38 kg). Furthermore, incidence of low birth weight pigs was less (P < 0.05) for sows consuming INT compared with sows fed CON and HI (Table 1). Overall piglet mortality tended to decrease (P < 0.10) as dietary Zn increased. Furthermore, mortality of low birth weight pigs decreased (P < 0.05) as dietary Zn increased. Overall, effects of supplemental dietary Zn at 365 and 595 ppm in late gestation improved pre-weaning survival of low birth weight piglets and reduced overall pre-weaning mortality of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advancements in wet/dry shelf feeders have caused them to become more popular in swine finishing barns. Pigs consume feed faster from wet/dry feeders compared with dry feeders, so manufacturers recommend higher stocking density than dry feeders. However, there are little data published indicating optimal feeder shelf settings for wet/dry feeders. The objective of this study was to evaluate two shelf settings for wet/dry feeders in a commercial setting. Pigs (n = 1200) were blocked by initial BW and pens were assigned within block to one of two shelf settings: 60% or 85% open. Openings for each feeder were determined by caliper measurement. Each pen (n = 20/treatment) was stocked with 30 pigs, providing 2.54 cm of linear feeder space (15 pigs per 38.1 cm feeder hole) and 0.637 m2 of floor space per pig. Mash feed (primarily corn-soybean meal-DDGS) delivery was recorded daily using Big Dutchmen Feed Exact Pro, and pigs were weighed biweekly throughout the 84 d trial. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS with pen considered the experimental unit. Initial pig BW was similar (17.5 vs 17.4 kg; SE=0.1) for 85% and 60% treatments, respectively. Feeder shelves that were 85% open allowed pigs to have greater (P < 0.01) ADG (1.06 vs. 1.02 kg/d; SE=0.01), ADFI (2.63 vs. 2.48; SE=0.01) and were heavier at d 84 (107.1 vs 103.3 kg; SE=0.4) compared with feeder shelf openings of 60%. However, feeders that were 60% open supported better G:F (0.412 vs 0.404; P < 0.01; SE=0.001) compared with the 85% openings, respectively. No behavioral vices were observed in this study. These data suggest shelf settings for wet/dry feeders that are 85% open support faster but less efficient growth than shelf settings of 60%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]